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Friday, March 22, 2013

Cotton Candy Cake Bars

So Easter is fast approaching and I've got some great recipes lined up to share with you! Today is the first of a few spring-y dessert recipes that I'll be sharing in the next couple weeks.

But before I get into all of that, I must share with you one of the best burgers that I've EVER had, courtesy of Gordon Ramsay's restaurant BurGR in Las Vegas. Joe and I drove up to Las Vegas last Thursday for the Mountain West Conference Tournament to see the University of New Mexico's men's basketball team win! The tournament was a very exciting and fun experience that I think all Lobo fans should be able to experience. Lobos took over Vegas that weekend for sure! (Sadly, the Lobos lost their first game of the NCAA tournament last night, which shouldn't dampen all of their achievements this year or the past several years... Gosh, who ever thought this girl would be talking about sports...)

After the Lobos won the tournament on Saturday, we went to check out the Strip and ended up eating dinner at Gordon Ramsay's BurGR located in Planet Hollywood casino. I had the Char Siu Burger, which was probably the best burger I've ever had! I'm part Asian and grew up eating char siu and other fun foods which are quite a delicacy for me, especially since we don't get much of that type of food in Albuquerque (more specifically dim sum... good dim sum!). I was so thrilled at the thought of the char siu burger, which had a slice of Chinese roast pork on top of the burger patty as well as a "coleslaw" of carrots and daikon radish and topped with cilantro (very reminiscent of a Vietnamese banh mi sandwich). Some of all of my favorite things wrapped up in one and it was so good!

The truffle fries, which I was equally excited about, were a anti-climatic so let's not focus on that. Before I continue with the rest of my post, here are some photos from the trip and my favorite hamburger to-date!

Lobo Louie and the UNM cheerleaders at a pep rally

Joe and myself enjoying our first MWC tournament

After the big win! Congratulations Lobos!

The menu at BurGR

Char Siu Burger

In my Lobo gear and can't wait to eat!

The inside of the best burger ever!

Back to business!

These Cotton Candy Cake Bars don't really have anything to do with spring other than their pretty blue color that looks like the New Mexico skies in spring (when it's not windy!) and the Easter sprinkles on top (they were the only sprinkles I had that weren't Christmas or Halloween colors).

This dessert is super easy to make since it uses a boxed cake mix and canned frosting. I love the Duncan Hines Frosting creations! You can get creative with the flavors, as shown by this recipe. These bars are very moist and are right in the middle of being a cake and bars. Only thing I might change for the future is to leave out the white chocolate chips. While they were cute, they didn't really add anything for me to these bars. So add them in or don't, they're still wonderful!

The cake bars are sweet though the cotton candy flavor is more subtle so you're not going to get overwhelmed by a cotton candy flavor. They are delicious and easy and definitely worth trying (whether you're making them or eating them!)

Happy official spring everyone! I hope you enjoy this recipe and I can't wait to share the other recipes I have in store for you.

In a large bowl, mix together the cake mix, eggs, oil and ONE packet of the cotton candy mix with a rubber spatula until blended and combined. Stir in the chocolate chips.

Spread the mixture evenly into the prepared pan and bake for approximately 14-16 minutes or until edges are lightly golden and center is set. Allow to cool completely before frosting (center will set up a little more once removed from oven; just don’t overbake these!)

Stir the remaining flavor packet into the can of icing (or prepare your own vanilla buttercream, if you wish). Spread the icing evenly onto the cooled bars and top liberally with sprinkles. Pop in the fridge to set the icing for about an hour before cutting into squares. Store in an airtight container for approximately 1-2 days. (I kept mine in the fridge.)

I'm obviously way behind with commenting (this semester is kicking my butt)... You & Joe are adorable! :-) Also, a friend of mine went to BurGR last year and said she had the best burger every -- I totally need to get to this place!